Club America tops Puerto Rico Bayamon

Action from the CONCACAF Champions League game between Club America and visiting Puerto Rico Bayamon FC on August 19, 2014, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. (Photo: Mexsport)

MEXICO CITY – Club America raced out to a four-goal lead in the opening 20 minutes and posted a 6-1 win over Puerto Rico Bayamon FC in CONCACAF Champions League Group 8 play at the Estadio Azteca on Tuesday.

The five-time CONCACAF champion flexed its muscles from the opening kickoff.

Moises Velasco initiated the scoring in the sixth minute with a low shot from 17-yards out that went off Bayamon goalkeeper Andre Krul. Luis Gabriel Rey won a footrace to the ball, cut it back to Luis Mendoza, who laid it off to Velasco and the Toluca loanee did the rest.

The home fans hadn’t finished celebrating when Michael Arroyo struck. The Ecuadorian midfielder blasted a free kick from 28 yards to the right of Krul just two minutes later.

In the 14th minute, Ventura Alvarado latched onto a Velasco near post corner kick and the U.S.-born defender flicked a header into the net.

Martin Zuñiga scored one of the goals of the competitions thus far, netting off a chilena from eight yards to give America a 4-0 lead.

After Mendoza rang a shot off the far post from the top of the 18-yard box in the 38th minute, Gil Buron capped the first-half scoring in the third minute of stoppage time. He played a quick one-two with Rey before firing a shot from 24 yards into the net to give Club America a comfortable 5-0 halftime advantage. The five first-half goals set a new tournament record

Bayamon scored its first-ever CCL goal on the hour mark. An Andres Perez free kick found Nicholas Walker, who headed home a powerfully and downward from eight-yards out.

America closed its account in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as Zuñiga beat Krul to a ball played into the box and put a glancing header in for his second goal of the night.

The Mexican power will next travel to Guatemala for an August 26 encounter against Comunicaciones, which beat Puerto Rico Bayamon, 5-0, two weeks ago.